Elemental: Reforged

Elemental: Reforged

Released Mar 2026

A 4X strategy game in a fantasy RPG world. Create your own sovereign hero, build a dynasty, design custom units, and wage turn-based war across a world that's different every time you play. Every unit is an individual with their own name, gear, and story.

73% positive · 516 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

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Evaluation

Elemental: Reforged launched on March 17, 2026 after exiting Early Access. Since then, Stardock has maintained a high pace of post-launch development. On April 2, 2026, the developer published a Spring Roadmap confirming at least two years of post-launch budget and laying out a version-by-version plan through v1.3. That plan has been executed closely: the first paid DLC, Treasures of the Magi, shipped on May 21, 2026, followed by a free v1.1 update the same day. V1.2 arrived on June 18, 2026 with AI improvements and an overhauled loot system. V1.3 shipped on July 23, 2026 with stability fixes, new quests, and further loot rebalancing. In a developer journal published July 9, 2026, Stardock explained the audio crash issues that affected June's review scores and described how they responded by accelerating the v1.3 release and adding new Sorcerer King quests as compensation to players. Crucially, the journal closes with: "Once v1.3 is out, we'll be moving on to v1.4. Let us know in the comments what you'd like to see next." This confirms that development is actively continuing, though the content of v1.4 has not yet been formally announced. All currently listed DLC is released, but the developer's own words and sustained update cadence make clear that more updates are on the way. The most recent developer communication was July 23, 2026 — less than a month before today's date of August 15, 2026.
Evidence
v1.3 update released with stability fixes, new quests, a new strategic unit speed slider, and loot rebalancing. Most recent developer communication.
news post · Jul 23, 2026 source content shipped
high
Developer journal confirms that once v1.3 is released they will move on to v1.4, and invites community input on what to include next. Confirms active, ongoing development.
news post · Jul 9, 2026 source development ongoing
high

Content

2 of 2 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Publisher
Stardock Entertainment
Achievements
41
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Unsupported
Players
Single-player

About this game

The Titans are gone. The magic they stole remains.

When immortal Titans descended on the world of Anthys, they stripped its magic and bound it into crystal shards buried deep in the earth. Mortal sorcerers rose against them and won, but victory came at the cost of civilization itself. The Cataclysm shattered continents, drowned cities, and left the survivors to crawl from the ruins and start again.

That was generations ago. Now new powers are rising. Kingdoms channel life magic to revive the land. Empires harness death magic to dominate it. And scattered across Anthys, the shards still pulse with stolen power, waiting for someone bold enough to claim them.

You are a sovereign. Establish your civilization. Raise your dynasty. Take the shards. Reshape the world in this reforged fantasy 4X classic!

Kingdoms and Empires

Ten rival Kingdoms and Empires contest Anthys, split by an ideological war over the nature of magic itself. Command Procipinee's mighty sorcerers of Pariden with access to every school of magic. Lead the Ironeer of Gilden, stocky, magic-resistant miners who field Iron Golems in battle. Unleash the Trogs of Yithril as unstoppable Juggernauts. Or embrace the Quendar of Magnar, Titan-blooded slavers who convert captives into raw mana. Each faction plays differently. The AI plays by the same rules you do. No cheats, no rubber-banding.

Your Army, Your Design

Every unit in your army is an individual with a name, a history, and equipment you chose for them. You don't recruit generic soldiers. You design unit types from scratch, equip them with crafted gear, and watch them grow through battle. Losing a veteran stings, but fielding a squad you built from nothing and watching them crush the enemy in the endgame is something else entirely.

Blood and Legacy

Your sovereign marries, produces heirs, and passes traits down through generations. Your children will grow to be your next Champions, your dynasty is a living system that spans your entire campaign, and the throne doesn't sit empty when your ruler falls.

The Shards Change Everything

Capture Elemental shards and you don't just gain power: you reshape the world itself! Turn scorched wasteland into fertile ground. Raise mountain ranges to seal a border. Corrupt revived land into Fallen terrain or push it back. The map at the end of the game will be very different to the one you started.

Magic, Technology, and the Space Between

Three research branches (Civilization, Warfare, and Magic) let you define what kind of empire you're building. Unlock world-altering sorcery, or ignore it entirely and win through steel and economy. The tree is deep enough that no two campaigns develop the same way.

Deep Crafting

Forge weapons, armor, scrolls, potions, and enchanted artifacts from gathered resources. Your heroes carry gear you built, not just loot from a chest. A custom-forged blade on a champion you've raised from nothing is worth more than any random drop.

Tactical Combat

When armies clash, combat plays out on a tactical battle map. Position your units to take advantage of their unique strengths and abilities. Magic is devastating and a carefully cast spell may end the battle in epic style. The AI exploits the same systems you do and doesn't pull punches.

A World Worth Exploring

Anthys is procedurally generated and packed with content. Dungeons like the Pits of Namtur stretch to the underworld. The Lombard Desert hides the lost Library of Illuna. The Shroud swallows travelers whole. Hundreds of quests, recruitable champions, and encounters that respond to your choices fill out a world that plays differently every time.

Three Campaigns

Prelude, The Fallen Enchantress, and The Legendary Heroes. Three full story campaigns spanning different eras of Anthys, from the rise of Ceresa's Fallen armies to the corruption of Mirdoth and the reign of the Sorcerer King.

Full Mod Support with Steam Workshop

Build and share custom maps, scenarios, and total conversions.

The Road to Reforged

Elemental began in 2010 as Stardock's vision for the definitive fantasy civilization game, a world where 4X strategy met RPG depth at every level. That vision took three games and over a decade of iteration to fully realize. Reforged brings all of that work together on a modern 64-bit engine. This is the game it was always meant to be.

Last evaluated Aug 15, 2026
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